Connect

This is the latest installment in our Connect article series “Hope at Work” — showcasing inspiring stories about how our team members contribute to UVA Health’s 10-year strategic plan: “One Future Together Health and Hope for All.” No matter where you work, you have an opportunity to inspire hope in others. These stories show how:

‘Positive and Powerful’

UVA Health nurse practitioner and teen advocate Dyan A. Aretakis died in 2018. But her work is carried on at the UVA Health Teen and Young Adult Health Center, founded by Dyan in 1991, and at the Dyan A. Aretakis Teen Culture Conference (register now), co-founded in 1998 by Dyan and Mary Sullivan, M.Ed., the center’s Adolescent Advocacy and Outreach Program Director.

“Dyan is remembered by professional peers and former patients daily,” says Mary. “Her impact was positive and powerful — and continues to be enormous.” 

Mary recalls that while the UVA Health Teen and Young Adult Health Center originally served with compassion and respect, young women who were pregnant and parenting — it repeatedly received requests to provide comprehensive primary healthcare.

The center’s growth and popularity, primarily led by nurse practitioners, were rapid. According to Mary, the center spearheaded the use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, hugely consequential in preventing unplanned pregnancies and HPV infections. “As a pioneer in these efforts, Dyan’s expertise was frequently sought and followed,” Mary remembers. “She led numerous local and state, youth-serving boards and commissions.” 

‘Exemplary Ethos’

Care at the center is provided by four UVA Health physicians and two nurse practitioners: Heather Payne, WNP, (left) and Monica Hehir, DNP, (below, right) both of whom, according to Mary, “so beautifully emulate Dyan’s exemplary ethos.”

“I joined Dyan at the center 20 years ago — somewhat in awe of her ability to connect with and advocate for teens,” recalls Heather. “I continue to be humbled by the impact she had on this community, and still work to mirror her tireless devotion to adolescents and adolescent health.”

“Working at the center is an honor,” says Monica. “I feel very lucky as a nurse practitioner to be in a position where I can help care for adolescents during vulnerable moments in their lives and celebrate milestones and accomplishments with them."

She adds, "As healthcare providers, we form relationships with patients that can be so impactful for navigating through the challenges of young adulthood. Our patients constantly amaze me with how truly resilient they are.”

Evolving Goals

When Dyan and Mary planned the first Teen Culture Conference 26 years ago, Mary says the goal was simple: to educate those who care for and about teens — acknowledging the challenges they face and manage — while highlighting their agency, energy, creativity, and resilience.

Past conferences consistently addressed depression and anxiety, eating disorders, identity exploration and formation, substance use disorder, suicide prevention, reproductive and sexual health, and strategies for cultivating resilience. Attendees include physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, mental health clinicians, youth advocates, educators, faith community leaders, and parents.

'You Are Not Alone'

The 12^th Dyan A. Aretakis Teen Culture Conference will be held 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 11 at the Irving Theater, CODE Building, 225 West Water Street, Charlottesville. It will focus on the mental health of teens and young adults, exhaustively documented in professional and popular literature. Morning sessions will focus on eating disorders; substance use disorder and treatment; and social media. Afternoon sessions — some guided and structured by teens and young adults — will examine responses to these mental health challenges. Register now.

Scholarships funds are available to those who lack continuing education money to register for the conference. For more information, contact Mary Sullivan at 434.297.4351 or mas6f@uvahealth.org.